Biodiesel stations in Hawaii

Hawaii: the B99 capital of the United States

Hawaii has only eleven public biodiesel stations, but nine of them sell B99 — more than a third of all the public B99/B100 pumps in the country. That's the work of one company. Pacific Biodiesel started on Maui in the mid-1990s recycling used cooking oil from restaurants into fuel, making it one of the oldest biodiesel producers in the U.S. It now refines on the Big Island and runs its own fueling sites on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island, several of them unattended 24-hour pumps that take a card, an app or an RFID tag.

Two things make high blends practical here that aren't true on the mainland. It never gets cold enough for B99 to gel, so there's no seasonal blend-down. And because nearly all of Hawaii's petroleum arrives by tanker, locally made fuel from local waste oil competes on more even terms than it does elsewhere. The remaining stations — two 76 stations on Oahu, Minit Stop in Lahaina and the HFN cardlock in Keaau — sell B20 or a choice of blends.

Tips for Hawaii drivers

• B99 is outside the warranty approval of every current diesel pickup (the limit is B20). It's popular in older diesels, farm equipment, generators and boats; check your manual before filling a newer truck. See B100 and B99.
• Several Pacific Biodiesel sites need an account, app or RFID tag rather than a regular credit card. Set that up before you're on empty.
• For B20 from an ordinary pump, the 76 stations in Honolulu and Kaneohe are the simplest option on Oahu.

State incentives and mandates change. The current list for Hawaii is on the AFDC Hawaii laws and incentives page.